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Tiger Cubs, Cougars score well in regional
MONTGOMERY -- An 8:30 a.m. tee-off time began a long-hot day for the Greencastle and North Putnam boys' golf teams at Montgomery's Country Oaks Golf Course Thursday in Daviess County.
The two Putnam County teams matched up great with North Putnam edging out Greencastle by one stroke as the Cougars and the Tiger Cubs earned 10th and 11th place with 324 and 325 respectively.
"I think after they think about this for awhile they will look back and say, 'We played pretty good today,'" GHS coach Stephen Paquin said. "Because we did. We've beaten a lot of the teams that are (finished playing). With two freshmen and the youth of the team, there is nothing that we can do but go up."
Greencastle's Jake Buis continued his impressive streak for GHS, netting a 74, the lowest score of the two county schools.
His efforts were matched by his Tiger Cub squad who turned in a respectable score and will be looking to improve upon this year's finish in the 2016 season. Greencastle has improved the most cerebrally and that makes Paquin a confident coach.
"(They've improved at) blocking out the bad holes," Paquin said. "They're not letting themselves get too far down or too far up on the good holes. Consistency has helped a lot."
The mental game is one of the toughest aspects of golf according to the Greencastle coach and he is glad his Tiger Cubs are getting better at handling the mental obstacles.
"It is really tough to do," Paquin said. "The mental part, that's the hardest part. They just did a great job."
The Cougars saw some good efforts from the usual suspects like Austin Judy and Danny Smith who each carded a 78, but Preston Porter's score of 82 as well as Jake Holtze and Emmett Holsapple each scoring less than 90 played into the WCC champs' good regional finish.
"The goal was to try to get out of here or try to get individuals out which didn't happen," Cougar coach Linda Patrick said. "But we did have two guys shoot 78 which is great. I had Preston Porter show up with an 82 today, which is impressive.
"Emmett (Holsapple), my other senior, showed up really good for his first time at regionals and Jake (Holtze) had some trouble on the front nine," Patrick continued. "He came last year as an alternate so this was really his first year playing the course and he got an 87, that's good."
North Putnam will be losing its No.1 and No. 5 golfers to graduation and each Cougar has spent multiple years leading this group to the success that it has enjoyed.
"Emmett, in his time here, he has probably improved the most this year. He's stuck with it and he's real consistent. He's done everything that I've asked him to change in his golf. He realizes that it helped him to get to where he is. I'm going to miss him."
With Smith, who has played four years for coach Patrick the team will miss his demeanor as he strolled the links for North Putnam.
"We'll miss, of course, the fact that they were leaders," Patrick said. "They've been great mentors this year. The main thing I'll miss from Danny is he's got so much golf persona. He's got the cool, calm and collectiveness of a golfer. He doesn't throw a fit or a club. He's been a really good golfer for me since middle school."
With the end of the season, comes the end of Patrick's reign. She will resign from her position leaving the county champs after four years of coaching the boys.
Patrick said her team will have its work cut out for them but also stressed the strong potential for improvement for the Cougars returning next season.
IHSAA Regional No. 4
At Country Oaks
Team Results (Top Three advance)
1. Castle 298
2. Martinsville 299
3. Plainfield 300
4. Sullivan 303
5. Evansville North 308
10. N. Putnam 324
11. Greencastle 325
Greencastle Buis 74, Hasty 86, Bennett 79, Basile 89, Stevens 86 North Putnam Smith 78, Judy 78, Holtze 87, Porter 82, Holsapple 86